The Other Girl
by Milley02
Summary: On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell... AU! Contains Girl OC
1. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with High School of the Dead, that belongs to Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Who know exactly what we all want in regards to good zombie violence.**

**summary; On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell...**

'...' thoughts

"..." speech

"(...)" english speech

_Chapter 1 - The Beginning of the End_

A short caucasion girl in the japanese uniform of Fujima High stood at the very top roof of the high school building, casually leaning against the railing as her green skirt and chin-length brown hair moved freely in the wind and thinking about the fast coming end of the student exchange program she was participating in.

After a while, she sighed as she propped up her head with her elbow against the metal rail, bronze eyes staring out at the sakura trees below and watching their pink petals float gracefully through the air to cover everything in pink.

Her eyes flickered over to the front gate as she heard a commotion start up and she hummed with interest as she watched the group of teachers tell off a guy at the gates who was acting strangely.

She frowned, adjusting her shiny bronze-framed glasses to try and see what was going on.

"(It can't be...)", she murmured, eyes narrowed as her thoughts instantly jumped to the countless movies and tv shows she'd seen with the same beginning event.

One of the teachers approached the gate, yelling loudly in japanese.

But the guy just kept walking mindlessly into the gate, bouncing backwards every once in a while.

"(What the-)", then a struggle broke out between them and she froze, the words stuck in her throat, as blood suddenly exploded outwards and the teacher stumbled backwards, screaming in agony.

It wasn't until the group of teachers started tearing into each other in a gory bloodbath did her iron grip on the railing go slack and she stumbled away from the edge, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Shaking, she fell backwards, her stomach in knots and already starting to feel queasy as the cold fear started to pierce into her heart.

Then the school's campus-wide intercomm crackled to life and with wide, fearful eyes, she listened.

_End Chapter_

**A/N: Hey everyone! I saw this anime recently in the uncensored version and thought I'd try my hand at some hardcore horror while I get my Suzumiya Haruhi story sorted (the Bleach one I might need to get a little help on, she's still WAY too much Mary Sue!). I also posted this on DeviantArt, and if you wanna check out that, my user name there is the same here.**

**Oh! And I know this is a little light on the gore so far, but this first chapter is more about the girl's emotions/reactions than anything else. Promise it'll get more gory later.**

**AND NO this story is not going to be a blow-by-blow retelling of the anime with an extra character.**

**Anyways, I'm gonna post the first few chapters regardless at weekly intervals(maybe sooner), but anything after that will be pending what you guys and gals review.**

**Some fanart would be nice 'cause I'm not really that good of a drawer!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**'Till then,**  
**Milley02**


	2. Z Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with High School of the Dead, that belongs to Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Who know exactly what we all want in regards to good zombie violence.**

**summary; On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell...**

'...' thoughts

"..." japanese speech

"(...)" english speech

**_Chapter 2 - Z-Day_**

_~Recap~ _

_Shaking, she fell backwards, her stomach in knots and already starting to feel queasy as the cold fear started to pierce into her heart._

_Then the school's campus-wide intercomm crackeled to life and with wide, fearful eyes, she listened._

_~End Recap~_

"Attention all students!", the announcer started.

I froze, staring fearfully at the ground.

"Violence has broken out on the campus! Students should evacuate the campus according to their teacher's instructions!"

My lips were pressed together, and I was biting the inside of my mouth.

"I repeat! Violence has broken out on campus! Students should evacuate campus-!"

Suddenly, the broadcast broke off, ending in a loud squeal of the speakers. Confused, I looked up.

The announcer started screaming for help and I felt my lungs seize. 'They' were there.

The intercomm sputtered out again, and silence engulfed the school.

Then the screams started.

The school erupted in panic and I could just imagine the mayhem as everyone tried to get away. To escape.

Slowly, I moved backwards until my back was against the wall as I watched the city fall apart in the distance, sirens blaring and smoke rising all over.

Blood splattered the streets. Bodies everywhere. It was chaos. Like a war zone.

I sat down, my back still against the wall, and brought my knees up to my chest, hugging my legs as I shook in fear and tears gathered at the corners of my eyes.

I don't know how long I sat there like that, in shock, but the sound of a door slamming open was the only thing that jolted me even halfway back to my senses.

Standing up, I swayed a bit with nausea before walking towards my bag (yes, I had it up there illegally. so sue me) and shoving my hand inside I pulled out the first thing I touched - my umbrella.

Not very intimidating, I know, but it would do for now.

Quietly, I made my way over to the staircase. The roof was covered in 'them'.

For a second, I hesitated, then I saw three ALIVE students over by the edge. They were _ALIVE_.

My eyes widened and I could feel myself smiling, but knew it was only superficial.

Thinking quickly, I glanced left; the gate at the bottom of the stairs was closed, so it was clear. The problem was, 'they' were starting to gather nearby.

Those three were gonna have to move fast.

I started waving as big as I could, but the city in chaos had their attention.

"(Damn it!)", I growled. Then suddenly a formation of black hawk helicopters flew past, flying way too close to the ground and I frowned, turning to watch as I calculated their heading.

They were probably going to the nearby power plant, to try and keep it running as long as possible.

I turned back after they faded into the distance, I saw the group finally looking up towards where I was, and I started waving again,"(come on, already! Jeez!)", I hissed under my breath as they _finally_ noticed me and I started jogging down the stairs to the gate to meet them.

The three teenagers charged across the roof with the one wielding a bat in front, followed by a girl with a broken broom handle wielding it like a spear and another guy who looked injured.

I waited as long as I could, then, taking a deep breath, I swung open the gate and faced the first of 'them' as they turned towards the sound of the chain-link gate opening.

Wielding my open umbrella like a shield, the spokes of the umbrella began snapping like twigs under the strength of 'their' numbers, and I only just managed to hold 'them' off long enough for the three to smash their way through the growing crowd and start running up the stairs, the girl of the group stopping to help me close the gate again.

But it was too late, there were too many of 'them' gathered. The weight of them all quickly stopped our efforts and we were pushed back, the gate falling open, forcing us to scramble backwards up the stairs.

As 'they' started pouring through the gate, I managed to get into a crouch and closing the umbrella, stabbed the closest one using the pointed metal tip, but when I tried to pull it out it was stuck!

I could swear in that moment I had a panic attack. I could swear my heart stopped. I started struggling as fear pushed me closer to a blind panic.

Suddenly a broken broom handle stabbed into it over my shoulder, blood splashing across my cheek and shirt, and then something was pulling me backwards, my hands slipping off the handle of the umbrella.

"Run!", the girl with waist-length orange hair shouted as she tried to deal with the one we'd both stabbed and been unable to stop,"hurry!".

I took a step backwards, shocked, and then the girl slipped and it took control, slamming her into the wall with her own weapon.

I gritted my teeth together as something inside me snapped.

She'd saved my life. I can't leave her!

The boys behind me had started yelling, and, without even thinking about it, I grabbed the discarded baseball bat and charged forward, swinging the bat with all my strength and screaming.

* * *

It was quiet again.

It was hours later and I was sitting against the wall again, the blood-splattered bat still clutched in my fingers in a death-grip as I stared listlessly up at the sky, just watching the clouds roll by and feeling the wind.

The girl, who I learned was named Miyamoto Rei, was blathering on about 'why? Why is this happening?' and her boyfriend, Hisashi the injured guy, was trying to calm her down.

He was being surprisingly calm despite the situation... and his wound.

I knew what would eventually happen. But I remained silent as he went about making some kind of light source like he would actually still be here by nightfall. It was even his idea to barricade the top of the stairs with tables from inside the astronomy tower.

Lucky I know how to pick a basic tumble lock.

Hisashi started coughing up blood and I looked away, cringing.

Rei was panicking already, in denial, saying he wasn't going to die.

He asked the third guy, Takashi, to help him. To help him die before he turned into one of 'them'.

Then Hisashi up-chucked a LOT of blood and before I even realized what I was doing, I was standing next to Takashi, holding out the bat to him.

He looked up at me and our eyes locked. We were both scared shitless and he didn't want to do it.

But I didn't think it would be right if I did it, so I wordlessly nudged him with the bat.

Behind me, I could hear Hisashi struggling and Rei yelling.

Then finally,"DON'T DIE!", she screamed and I turned to look as Hisashi went still. He was gone. Dead.

I felt the bat slip from my hands and I looked back in surprise at Takashi to see him holding it now.

Silently, he stepped past me as Rei yelled at him to stay away. That Hisashi was fine.

For a while, I didn't move as the two argued behind me. I didn't want to see.

I stared at the cloudy blue sky and hoped, wished, that this was still all just a dream.

Sure, I'd killed that one earlier, but that was to save Rei. That, and I didn't know the guy.

But Hisashi... I'd talked to him 'before'. Before today. He was a nice guy, with family, friends, and a girlfriend. I knew him as a person... and seeing him die like this...

I closed my eyes and remembered what my Dad had told me. Over and over since I was a child.

_~Flashback~_

_I was four years old and, like every other little kid, I was afraid of the dark._

_My Dad stood in the doorway of the room I shared with my older sister, listening as she complained about the hallway light stopping her from being able to sleep._

_Then, when she was finished, he walked up to me and said._

_"Face your fear, and you'll find the courage to push past it"_

_~End Flashback~_

From then on, I'd slept with the light off. All the monsters that only the run away imagination of a child with a father who believed you should know about the darker parts of the world as soon as possible could produce.

Eventually, I got used to it. Facing my fears had made me stronger.

Right then, I decided. This was it. This was the world now, and I'd better get used to it fast.

Fight or die. Either way, adapting here and now is essential to surviving this new world.

I opened my eyes and turned.

'Hisashi' had stood up and we all watched him warily, Takashi pulling Rei towards me where I took her hand in mine, grim determination on his face and mine.

The two best friends faced off, one now deceased and the other determined to survive and protect the one he cared about.

I forced myself not to turn away.

"This isn't happening", Rei started to whisper beside me and Takashi stepped forward, raising the bat.

I forced myself not to blink or close my eyes.

"This really is unbelievable", he agreed,"so unbelievable that it's stupid".

_"Face your fear, and you'll find the courage to push past it"_

"And yet... it really is happening!". Takashi ran forward, wielding the bat, and then 'Hisashi' was gone too.

_... this is the world now._

_One full of blood and violence..._

**_End Chapter_**

_~Sneak Peek~_

_After Hisashi died, I climbed up further onto the astronomy tower roof to give Rei and Takashi some 'privacy'._

_Really though, I just wanted to see if I could block out Rei's whinny, denial-filled voice._

_I mean seriously! Sure, panic at the beginning of something like this is understandable! But JEEZ woman! ENOUGH is ENOUGH._

_~End~_

**A/N: Hello peoples! Thanks to everyone for reading! As promised, here is the blood and gore! (Though not as much as I'd hoped, it WILL get more messy soon though!).**

**A special mention goes to Shatter-k-3 (who was the only one who reviewed) and is now getting a special one-time-only present because of it - which you will all find out about later!**

**Please remember to review, add to your story alert, and/or add to you favs.**

**C ya later,**  
**Milley02**

**(Plus, for those who wanted to know, I got the lines for the intercomm speaker announcement at 08:32 into episode 1 of the anime(uncensored version) with eng subtitles)**


	3. Of Blood and Violence

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with High School of the Dead, that belongs to Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Who know exactly what we all want in regards to good zombie violence.**

**summary; On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell...**

**WARNING: This is where the mature rating finally earns itself, with zombie gore and descriptions of horror.**

'...' thoughts

"..." japanese speech

"(...)" english speech

**_Chapter 3 - Of Blood and Violence_**

_~Recap~_

_... this is the world now._

_One full of blood and violence..._

_~End Recap~_

I sighed, sitting on the edge of the top most roof now, my legs dangling over the side.

After Hisashi died, I climbed up further onto the astronomy tower to give Rei and Takashi some 'privacy'.

Really though, I just wanted to see if I could block out Rei's whinny, denial-filled voice.

I mean seriously! Sure, panic at the beginning of something like this is understandable!

But _jeez_ woman! _Enough_ is _ENOUGH_. What's the point of loosing it _now_?

I smiled... my Dad would be proud.

"Wait, where are you going?", Rei's voice caught my attention.

Jeez, first she's whiny and accusatory, and now she's begging him to stay with her. She's having a lot of mood swings today...

I grimaced, now they were hugging... and I was up here _really_ hoping they didn't take it any further.

* * *

Sitting there doing nothing but silently swinging my legs back and forth a few metres over 'their' heads and watching their reactions was interesting. Especially when every once in a while I chucked a marble from a bag full I'd found in my bag at a metal cabinet outside the open gate at the bottom of the stairs.

What? It's just one of those things you find at the bottom of a bag you haven't cleaned out in years. One time I even found a dead battery; it was leaking alkaline acid everywhere...

Anyways, I changed targets every so often too and soon discovered a few interesting characteristics about 'them' - mostly because I got bored that whenever I hit one of 'them' they didn't even flinch.

For while I continued my observations, trying different things, and experimenting; target's hearing, range, response time, and tests for any other senses I could think of.

So far it was down to this;

Sight: zip.

Feeling: zilch.

Smell: nada - according to my moldy lunch meat sandwich anyway.

Movement: slow.

Reaction time: slow.

And hearing? A big yes.

Hearing seemed to be 'their' main, if only, sense and while their reaction time and movements were slow, once 'they' gathered in numbers their abnormal strength made it irrelevant.

_Key to survival established; be quiet and don't let 'them' crowd you._

2 to humans for their 'personal bubble' idea and invention of awesome ninja skills... and 100 to 'them' for being so damn contagious.

Damn, well that was very depressing...

Then I realized that Takashi and Rei were actually talking about something relevant, and I got to the top of ladder in time to hear Rei's hysterical half of a phone conversation with her Dad who was a cop.

The call ended with the sound of gunshots. That said it, we couldn't count on the police. And from the looks of the city, emergency services were out, and those black hawks that flew by earlier meant the military probably wasn't helping much either.

I mean, who _could_ prepare for something this?

Basically, if we were gonna make it through this, we had to do it on our own.

I sighed, closing my eyes for a second as I came to the realization, then I slid down the ladder and landed next them, breathing out loudly through my nose,"alrighty, then it's settled", I started as the the two turned to look at me.

"Let's get the hell off this roof!", I finished and with a grim smile started heading for the stairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, a fourteen year old freshman sitting in an empty bathroom pulled the earphones of her iPod out of her ears and left the stall with a sigh, grumbling about her 'good for nothing' older brother skipping school again, her curly waist-length brown hair swaying as she walked.

Suddenly, a loud banging caused her to freeze mid-step and her brown eyes snapped in the direction of the locked door that lead to the hallway.

She'd learned to lock it after the last time when she'd almost gotten caught by student council president.

The girl shivered at the memory.

The banging on the door increased and she narrowed her eyes as she carefully approached the door, listening for voices.

A scream pierced through the banging,"_stay away from me_! GET _BACK_!". It was her best friend, Yori!

Running to unlock the door, the girl on the other side, Yori, began screaming her friend's name,"AYA! Open the door! _AYA PLEASE!_ I _know_ you're in there-! _AHHH!_ HELP ME!".

Aya's hand froze centimeteres from the doorknob when suddenly the screaming stopped, replaced by the now obvious sickening noises of what sounded like _chewing_, and blood began to pool in alarming amounts underneath the door onto the tiles of the bathroom floor.

"No way... what is this...?", she muttered, shaking and slowly taking steps back towards the sinks and away from the door.

After a few minutes, the brunette girl gathered enough courage to approach the door again and slowly and as quietly as she could, she eased the door open to sneak a peek outside.

Instantly, she regretted it.

A large smeared trail of blood covered the floor infront of the door, and her eyes had reluctantly followed the trail to the find the mutilated corpse of her best friend lying on the ground not far down the hallway, now only recognizable from the two pink ribbons that had held her short red hair in pig-tails that was now in a tangled mess.

Ducking back inside, she managed to close the door again before emptying her stomach on the floor.

She sat there for a while, occasionally retching every time the image jumped back into her head whenever she thought about escaping.

Then finally, she stood, splashing her face with water a few times before trying the door again.

After all, being on the second floor, it was the only way out the bathroom.

She gulped, and finding her throat dry, went back to the sink for a drink of water before turning back to the door for the third time.

This was it. _No more procrastinating._

Taking a breath, she held it as she opened door, trying to be as quiet as possible, and glanced both ways down the corridor, trying to avoid looking at Yori.

She saw students at both ends of the hall, but they were acting strangely, and in the distance, she could hear screaming.

Cries for help, cries of rage, anger, regret, _fear_.

Aya swallowed, and then started making her way down the left corridor, where there were fewer of the oddly acting students.

None of them seemed to notice her, so she kept going, then suddenly a loud slamming came from behind her and she froze.

_The door!_

Glancing back, she saw she'd accidentally left the bathroom door open and it had slammed behind her!

Turning her attention back to the students, who were now a lot closer, she immediately felt sick again.

There was blood. _Everywhere._ All over them. Some even had limbs missing and bite marks where _chunks of flesh had been ripped away._

_They did that to Yori,_ she realized and her eyes narrowed in anger.

She didn't know _what_ had happened. She didn't know _why_ or _how_ either.

But she did know her brother would come to save her; and until then, she could _get a little revenge_ while she was waiting.

She may be short and irresistibly cute, but like her brother, she was _good_ at kicking arse.

* * *

"Nice idea with the water hose, Rei", I admitted, grinning with them as we started walking down the wet stairway, nodding in appreciation at the bodies of 'them' that were scattered from the pressure as I leaned the removed leg of a steel telescope tripod on my shoulder.

It was stronger and sturdier, and I figured it would do more damage then a now broken umbrella.

"Thanks", Rei said,"I got the idea from when we were in middle school and we had fire drill, and Takashi and Hisashi...", she trailed off as the looks on her and Takashi's faces fell and started to look grim again.

I sighed through my nose,"come on, let's ge-", I stopped as the sound of Rolling Star by YUI started coming from my backpack.

Dropping my bag quickly, I tore things out, throwing textbooks left and right until I dug a metallic purple flip phone from it's depths that was the origin of the sound.

I flicked it open, the ringtone stopping instantly, and without looking at the screen, I pressed the call answer button and listened intently with it to my ear, _hoping it was my Dad._

"_Izzy!_ Is that you? Thank _god_ you answered!", came a male teenager's voice.

"_Daisuke?_", I questioned, my hope dashed a little but still relieved that the guy I'd been living with - as my landlord - for the last year or so was still alive.

I could feel the eyes of Takashi and Rei on me but I kept with the conversation.

"I'm glad you're okay, but have you seen Aya anywhere? I've been trying to call, _but I can't get through_", he replied.

"Don't worry, I'll find her-, where are you anyway?".

"I'm halfway-", he started, his words punctuating by sounds of fighting, both distant gunshots and what I figured was the katana he kept on display in his room,"to the school-", he stopped again,"I just went through the arcade and _man_ it's messed up in there".

"You're telling me, it's pretty gruesome here too", I said, keeping an eye on the remainder of 'them' as they meandered around on the other side of the roof and Takashi and Rei had their own awkward conversation.

"You'll find her, right? You'll keep her safe?", Daisuke asked again, and I could just see the pained look on his face. After all, _Aya was all he had left in this world._

"I said I would, didn't?", I replied, a half-smile sliding onto my face,"_I promise_".

I could almost hear the smile on his face.

"I leave it to you then", he said, real relief in his tone.

"How long do think it'll take you to get here?", I asked.

"Not sure, 10 minutes? 20 at most", Daisuke replied,"depends on how the traffic is today".

"We'll meet you out front in 20, how's that?", I suggested.

"A plan that's as good as any", he laughed, and grunted as I heard his sword slice through flesh again,"I'll see you soon then".

"Yeah, see you soon", I replied, clapping the phone shut and catching the attention of Rei and Takashi as I checked my watch for the time.

"Everyone ready then?", Takashi asked, and Rei and I nodded.

"Then let's go".

* * *

By the time we'd got inside, I'd convinced Takashi and Rei to come with me to do a sweep of the freshman classrooms on the second floor to look for Aya.

We were just coming down the stairway to the first line of classrooms when I started hearing a girl yelling and the sounds of fighting.

Raising an eyebrow, Takashi glanced back at me and Rei, and I just shrugged. We were about to start moving again when suddenly one of 'them' _flew through the air_, past the staircase and slammed into a line of lockers, falling down, unmoving.

"Take _THAT_, you piece of shit!", a now familiar voice yelled,"that's what you get when mess with my friends, _jackass_!", and the girl stomped into view, her clenched fists and white indoor shoes all bloody.

"_A-, Aya-chan...?_", I trailed off, incredulous.

Aya, Daisuke's sweet little sister who I'd never seen hurt even a fly and has used the most adorable 'puppy dog' look successfully so many times on me and her brother, had just SURVIVED ON HER OWN - _SPECTACULARLY_.

And a little bit flashy.

"Izzy-chan?", she asked, her murderous gaze instantly switching to the cute little girl look with what looked like tears of relief in her eyes as Ayameki Ishikawa ran up and gave me a bone-crushing hug, ignoring Takashi and Rei.

"Izzy-chan! I was _SO_ scared!", she bawled,"they just came out of nowhere! And they-, they-, THEY KILLED YORI-CHAN, IZZY-CHAN! They _killed _her!".

I patted her head awkwardly, trying to calm her down as I sneaked a look at her hands.

Fortunately, the blood was NOT her's and after we retreated back up the stairway, I pulled the girl over to a bubblier, retrieved my sport towel from my back and used a wet corner to clean her hands as Aya's tears slowly subsided into sniffles.

Takashi and Rei stood either side of us, watching 'them' and fending 'them' off when need be as I continued cleaning Aya's hands, quietly telling her about my phone call with Daisuke - which seemed to cheer her up a bit.

But soon it got too crowded and we had move, so jogging down the corridor we came to another set of stairs and were just starting down them when we heard a girl's scream_ coming from close by._

**_Chapter End_**

_~Sneak Peek~_

_Swinging his sword around to lop off the head of one of 'them', a teenage boy of no more than 17 retreated into an alleyway with his bike, and, resting it on the blood-splattered wall, he dug his sliver flip phone out of his pocket and tried dialling his little sister's number again._

_No answer._

_This was fourth time he'd tried, and he was starting to get worried. Although knowing Aya, she probably turned her phone off - of all the times!_

_~End Sneak Peek~_

**A/N: aaaaand here we go! Like it? Love it? Hate it? SO, I FINALLY wrote some gore! I know, it's pretty overdue - considering this is a zombie story and all - but it's here now, so it's all good! And it just gets better from here!**

**As promised, Shattered-k-3's present is... the brother and sister duo; Daisuke and Aya-chan! Daisuke; the bad-ass, sword-fighting teenage landlord who after loosing both parents at a young age now takes care of his younger sister while working several jobs, attends high school (occasionally) and rents out their spare room to the lovely exchange student Izzy. And then there's Aya-chan; the adorable younger sister who is REALLY scary when she gets angry yet is a master of the 'puppy-dog' look, and while she is VERY protective of her friends, when presented with an unexpected situation she is easily overwhelmed.**

**Oh! And although there are different character POVs in this chapter, Izzy is NOT aware of what's going on with the other characters... you know, other than that phone call with Daisuke... but we'll be seeing more of the cute older brother next chapter anyways.**

**SO! Please remember to review, add to your story alert, and/or add to you favs.**

**C ya later,**  
**Milley02**


	4. Daisuke the Landlord

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with High School of the Dead, that belongs to Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Who know exactly what we all want in regards to good zombie violence.**

**summary; On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell...**

**WARNING: Contains zombie gore and descriptions of horror. Also dark psychological themes are present...**

_'...' thoughts_

_"..." japanese speech_

_"(...)" english speech_

_... underlined and italics means location, in a conversation it means the person on the other end of the phone  
_

_

* * *

_

_**Chapter 4 - Daisuke the Landlord**_

_**

* * *

**_

In a dark room, an arm reached out from underneath a bed quilt and grabbed a blaring alarm clock, dragging it back into the darkness where the noise ceased, leaving the room in silence again.

_Aono-Ishikawa Apartment_

_Z-Day _

_0745 hours_

Seconds later, the door slammed open and in marched a teenage girl with long waist length brown hair wearing a neatly pressed Fujima High school uniform, she went right up to the curtains and threw them open, bathing the cluttered bedroom in light.

"Onii-chan!", Aya demanded, hand on hips,"get up would you? _You're gonna be late!_".

The figure groaned, moving only slightly in response.

"_O~nii~chan~!_", the girl repeated, emphasizing each syllable, this time in a mischievous tone as she crept up to the bed.

In a second, the quilt was across the room and the bed's occupant, suddenly exposed to bright sunlight, groaned even louder,"why must my cute little sister have such an abusive personality?", I questioned rhetorically, still hidden beneath the bed sheets.

"It's time to get up, Onii-chan!", Aya said in a strained monotone, her eye twitching slightly as she attempted to ignore the remark,"come _on_! Even _Izzy-chan's_ up!".

"Good for her!", I shot,"now let me sleep in! I was up 'til 1am, _working!_".

I _really_ needed to stop working week nights.

The fourteen year old girl let out an exasperated sigh,"fine!", she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in air, and then she stormed out of the room, closing the bathroom door across the hall with excessive force.

"You know... you could make more of an effort, Daisuke", a voice aloftly commented from the doorway, and I poked my head out from underneath the sheets, brown hair slightly obscuring my vision, to scowl at the short girl leaning against my bedroom door frame.

"Like _you_ can talk...", I retorted, with all my 18 years of wisdom, and Izzy made a face of admittance.

"She'll leave you for today, but there's always tomorrow", Izzy went on,"you can't keep working these night jobs, especially with your schooling to think of-".

"Izzy", I interrupted,"have you started packing yet?".

Her eyes widened at the change of subject and her expression instantly soured, her mouth remaining shut as her fringe over-shadowed her eyes.

"The program ends next week with the semester finishing...", I trailed off.

"I know", was all she said,"and you don't have to worry, _I'll be out of her your hair soon enough_".

Then she left suddenly, and, caught off guard, I could only stutter out a,"_wait-!_", - then I face-planted into the carpet after trying to chase after her and realizing my legs were tangled in the sheets.

_OW._

I slid the rest of the way to the floor, sighing heavily as I looked up at the ceiling, feeling sluggish.

"_Damn it_, I'm such an_ idiot_...", I muttered, then looked out the window from my place on the floor.

* * *

_0956 hours_

Slowly, I dragged his feet into the kitchen, going straight to the refrigerator. Inside, was a box lunch with a note attached - from Aya.

_'Onii-chan!_

_I know you probably won't be coming to school today except for club in the afternoon - seeing how, because of Izzy, we ended up leaving late and you were still asleep when we left - I made you this box lunch so you wouldn't have to suffer through your own cooking (like I have for many years)._

_I also called the school for you already, and we'll probably be back around five - Yori, Izzy and I are going to pick up the new shounen magazine!_

_(`V`)_

_ V Aya'_

Shaking my head and smiling, I took a packet of crumpets from the fridge next to the box lunch and after putting them in the toaster, I flicked on the tv in the living room and went to get the cleaning supplies from the laundry.

Not going to school today, but I might as well get something done.

* * *

_1025 hours_

Turning off the vacuum cleaner, now dressed in slacks and a jumper instead of pjs, I turned around to unplug the machine from the power when I spotted the tv screen, and the handle drop from my grip, clattering to the floor.

_No._

On the screen, a reporter was talking about riots happening all over the country that just started in the last few hours, seemingly without any warning or reason.

The report switched to another scene, where a female journalist was speaking in front of an ambulance loading three body bags - apparent casualties from the actions of riot police.

Suddenly, one of the body bags began to _move_ and fell off the gurney, a hand clawing it's way out of the bag.

The reporter screamed as police charged in, firing shots at the body. Then the other two started moving and more shots were fired, the reporter ran off screen and the camera toppled over onto it's side as it was abandoned by it's operator, filming the two running off just before something fell in front of the view and the feed was cut off.

I, however, having a live recording system, rewound the feed, taking it back to the last few seconds, then paused it.

I was speechless.

The screen was filled with someone's face, the jaw _torn off_, an eye _missing_ and _part _of what was visible of the throat, looking like _it had been chewed out._

But it was still moving. Still _alive_.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as a plan formulated in my head, headphones still on my ears with long-forgotten music still pounding into my head.

In a split-second decision, a grim expression set on my face, I tore off the headphones, allowing the sounds of distant sirens to reach my ears, dropped the remote and left the room.

I recognized the panicked screaming of people as I headed for my room, but I had a job to do.

_A promise to keep._

I opened up the glass case that contained two katana, sliding the longer one out of it's black sheath to see the shine of the blade before tying it to my back with a twisted strip of fabric torn from my bed sheets.

The handle stuck out over my left shoulder with the torn piece of sheet stretched across my chest, and as I turned toward my wardrobe mirror, I strapped the shorter one to my waist for easy access.

I knew I bought these for a reason - you know, other than for showing them off to a girl who would probably never come over...

As I looked up to leave the room, I caught my reflection in the mirror and stopped.

Track pants, jumper, katana swords. If I'd had any leather I'd look like a male version of that crazy bitch from that Kill Bill movie - hell, the look on my face was enough.

A look torn between grim determination and guilt, with just a dash of desperation.

Shaking my head to gain some focus, I took another deep breath.

No time for freaking out or getting distracted._ I had to think about Aya._

Guilt struck me like I'd just been stabbed by the sword strapped to my back.

I should've gone to school! Then I could've _protected her!_

"_Damn it!_", I hissed, kicking my wardrobe door shut and shattering the mirror, then I charged out of the room, heading for the front door - the mutilated face of one of 'them' still on the screen.

* * *

_1035 hours_

Swinging my sword around to lop off the head of one of 'them', a look of grim determination on my face as I retreated into an alleyway with my bike, and, resting it on the blood-splattered wall, I dug a sliver flip phone out of my pocket and tried dialling my little sister's number again.

No answer.

This was the fourth time I'd tried, and I was starting to get worried. Although, knowing Aya, she probably turned her phone off - of all the times!

I put a hand to my forehead, smearing the recent blood splattered there, then shoved the phone back into my pocket and rolled my bike further down the alley.

I'd come across only a few of 'them' so far, but I was nearing a more populated district now - the Arcade.

Seeing 'them' was like nothing else I'd ever imagined, and a sick feeling wormed it's way into my stomach as I tried not to think about what the situation was probably like over at the high school as I rounded the corner.

I froze.

The street in front of the Arcade was_ filled_ with 'them'.

There was no way I'd get far before they crowded me.

_~Flashback~_

_Locking the gate of the tall fence that surrounded our apartment block behind me, I started making my way down the street, and soon came upon the bus stop into town._

_The little covered bench was deserted, but there were blood splatters over the glass walls and on the ground._

_Gulping, I made my way towards it to check the red-stained map on the side._

_"Maybe if I cut through-". Suddenly, there was a hand my shoulder._

_Eyes wide with panic, I spun around, sword in hand, to find a guy in a business suit stumbling backwards, blood covering his left arm with a chunk of flesh missing from his shoulder._

_I hesitated. He was obviously panicking, rambling out non-nonsensical words and phrases, but he didn't seem like much of threat. Not like those ones on the tv._

_Atleast, not yet._

_"Just once!", he sputtered out._

_"Pardon?", I asked. Maybe he could tell me something after all._

_He ran forward, grabbing my shoulder with his working right arm._

_"They only have to bite you once!", the man was hysterical,"just once!". He fell to his knees, blood spewing from his mouth and all over the front of my clothes, when what he was saying really hit me.  
_

**_Just once._**

_He fell forward onto his hands as I stepped backwards, in shock, the man retching up more blood, then he collapsed, motionless._

**_They only have to bite you once._**

_I was frozen. He was dead._

_Then he moved - nothing more than a twitch, but it was definitely movement._

_I gulped, my breathing starting to become heavy as the realization of what I would have to do to survive. To protect Aya. Really hit me._

**_Just one bite._**

_Shaking, I drew the katana from it's sheath on my back as the 'man' grabbed the front of my blood-stained jumper to drag himself up into a standing position._

**_Just once and it's game over._**

_With one last breath in, I gripped the hilt of my sword and swung._  
_~End Flashback~_

I searched desperately for a way around the group, and I had just spotted the stairs for the observation deck of the lazer tag, when a siren filled my ears and a police car with the flashing red and blue lights screamed past me _with less then a metre to spare._

The car squealed loudly to a stop in front of me and one of the doors popped open,"get in, kid!", the officer said, beckoning me with both hands as his partner started picking off some of 'them' on the other side of the car with a revolver,"quickly!".

"I can't! I have to get to the high school to find my little sister!", I told him, shaking my head.

A few seconds passed, and the guy's helpful expression turned angry,"_are you stupid?_ The high school fell half an hour ago, kid!", he fumed,"you're sister's probably dead already!".

Out-raged, I glared at him, abandoning my bike without a second thought as I ran past without a word, climbing up onto the police car and using it to jump over to the staircase to by-pass the horde.

"Good luck!", his partner called out, throwing me his own revolver as the first officer pulled out another, picking off a few more before revving the engine and with a squeal of tires, the police car raced off in the opposite direction.

* * *

A few minutes later, I was creeping along the catwalk beyond the observation deck when I heard a crash, followed by what sounded like the revolver the police officers had and then silence.

_They gone too._

For a moment, I didn't move, one hand ghosting over the revolver stuck into my belt, then I just gripped the handle of my drawn katana tighter and continued my way down the catwalk, the other side of the arcade already in sight.

Down below, half the lights were blown out, so the fluorescent paint on the walls was the only thing that revealed the blood splattered chaos the Arcade had become.

Some of 'them' were still wandering around, while others were _feasting_ on the remains of those who had survived just that little bit longer.

The catwalk soon ended, _just_ short of the outside but too far to jump, and after thinking about it for minute, I decided I'd have to risk going down a level and started quietly climbing down the scaffolding until_ my foot slipped and my katana fell from my grip, clattering loudly to the concrete before sliding away across the concrete._

Panic soared through my chest as my heart skipped a beat and I was forced to jump down into the chaos, my landing immediately attracting the attention of nearby 'them' as I scrambled to recover the sword and regain my heading as I jogged towards the exit that would bring me closer to the high school.

_To Aya._

Just as I was coming to the entrance, with a cry of surprise tearing it's way from my lips, I slipped _again_. On a pool of blood and was sent sliding down the pavement on my back, narrowly missing the jaws of several of 'them' as I collected myself _again_, the back of my clothes now splattered in blood as well as the front.

Running down the street, I pulled out my phone again, and as I stabbed another of 'them' and pushed it to the side, I dialled Izzy's number this time.

I mean, if anyone would be breaking the rules about phones, it would be her.

It answered after a few rings.

"Izzy! Is that you? Thank _god_ you answered!", I started, as soon at the click sounded.

_"Daisuke?".__

* * *

_

_**End Chapter

* * *

**_

_~Sneak Peek~_

_Sitting on a bus with a bunch of people I barely knew and a sociopath-looking teacher was NOT something I planned on doing when the apocalypse came around._

_I think my plan went something along the lines of finding a private jet and getting back home or something..._

_Either way, this was DEFINITELY not what I planned on doing. And I certainty didn't expect to be baby-sitting either._

_Sighing, I stopped looking down at Aya's sleeping head laying on my lap and gazed out the window again, tiredly watching the grey clouds that litter the sky sweep by as we drove away from school._

_Suddenly, I noticed a figure in the distance running along the street towards the us, and squinting my eyes as I gently moved out of the seat and started towards the front of the bus to get a better look, Takashi, Rei and Saeko watching me._

_My eyelids flashed open wide with recognition. Daisuke!_

_"Stop the bus!", I yelled, and instantly the air filled with the noise of squealing tires as Mariakawa-sensei slammed on the brakes, the screams of protest from the passengers quickly adding to mayhem._

_~End Sneak Peek~

* * *

_

**A/N: SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG! BUT Daisuke has his air time FINALLY! AND, I made the sneak peek longer! Sorry, about the long flashback though, it was important.  
**

**When brainstorming for this chapter, I realized hardly anything had been said about Daisuke! SO! I dedicated this entire chapter to him!**

**Much thanks to Shattered-k3 who helped me pin her character, Daisuke's, personality. I liked him as rambo but kill bill has a nice ring to it too. Atleast he has a goal in mind.**

**Next chapter gets a little socio-political, with quite a few intellectual themes. It's gonna be called;**

_**Chapter 5 - Don't Miss the Bus**_

**ALSO, I'm sorry to inform you guys and gals that updates will continue to be sporadic until the uni holidays start up again, AS IT IS HARD TO BALANCE UNI AND WRITING WHEN YOU HAVE ESSAYS TO WRITE TOO.**

**Boring essays. Very, VERY boring essays.**

**Please remember to review, add to your story alert, and/or add to you favs.**

**THANK YOU FOR HOLDING OUT!**

**C ya,**  
**Milley02**


	5. Don't Miss the Bus

**A/N: Okay, before I go on as normal I want to apologize for the HUGE delay... I kinda got in trouble when I ACCIDENTALLY set fire to a house-warming gift... AND IT WAS TOTALLY AN ACCIDENT! THE STUPID THING WAS SITTING ON THE OVEN-TOP FOR GOD'S SAKE - it was practically ASKING to be set on fire!**

**Also, tissue paper is highly flammable and glass (even when filled with really nice jam) explodes when subjected high temperatures... T_T**

**Plus there was the crap-load of assignments I had to finish and THEN the exams to study for - which sucks when you're house smells like burnt paper/cardboard (and popcorn for some reason...).**

**And THEN, BOTH my USB and laptop (where my stories and their backups are held) decided to crap out.**

**Yay for me.**

**Anyways, I'm sorry! I hope you wonderful readers (who I sincerely hope are still there) like this and decide to review!**

**Also, a bit of a warning - my writing style has changed a lot over this year (I've been taking writing classes!) so don't be alarmed if it looks weird compared to previous chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with High School of the Dead, that belongs to Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Who know exactly what we all want in regards to good zombie violence.**

**summary; On Z-Day, english exchange student Izzy was skipping class by hiding out in the astronomy tower on the roof. Little did she know, the world was about to go to hell...**

**WARNING: Contains zombie gore and descriptions of horror. Also dark psychological, socio-political and intellectual themes too (at least for this chapter). And swearing.**

_'...' thoughts_

_"..." japanese speech_

_"(...)" english speech_

* * *

_**Chapter 5 - Don't Miss the Bus**_

* * *

_-Recap-_  
_Jogging down the corridor we came to another set of stairs and were just starting down them when we heard a girl's scream coming from close by._  
_-End Recap-_

My eyes snapped to the next floor up, the scream echoing throughout the hallway as Aya's hand quickly grabbed my free one.

Frowning, I looked at Takashi to see him already charging back up the staircase, Rei right behind him, so I quickly pulled Aya up the steps with me as we raced towards the source.

As we ran down the corridor, I realized we were nearing the Staff Faculty Room, and I could see two others running towards us - or rather, the noise - and, the sudden sound of someone screaming,"_GET AWAY FROM ME!_", almost made me tripped over.

The screams were becoming more desperate and just before we rounded the corner, the sound of something _drilling_ drowned out the screaming - to say the least, the scene we came upon was a gory one.

A girl with long pink pigtails was holding off one of 'them' with a hand-held screw-driver, blood splattering everywhere.

"I'm _sick_ of these things!_ I WANT MY MUM!_", she screamed.

Movement to the left caught my attention and suddenly we all noticed the crowd of 'them' shuffling towards us.

_No wonder! The screaming was bloody loud enough!_

Raising the metal tripod leg into a defensive position, I pushed Aya behind me as Rei and Takashi ran forward to deal with 'them'.

"Izzy-san", said a voice beside me, and I turned my head to see Busujima Saeko standing right next to me.

_Jeez! How the hell did I not see her before?_

Regardless, I carefully kept my tone of voice 'polite',"Saeko-san", I replied, my voice catching on the '-san' as my mind momentarily flickered back to the memory of the day I found her and the beaten man in the alley, her wooden sword drawn. The same one she wielded now.

For fuck's sake, girl! _So what if she's a secret masochist who revels over power-trips?_ Get over it already!

Ever since then, she and I have been sort of 'friends' - if you call me having to listen to/watch Daisuke 'discretely' fawn over her like a love-sick puppy 24/7...

Which is just as painful as it sounds - and then some._ Ugh._

... for a while there I even had to attend her club so she could 'keep an eye on me' - like I'm not trust-worthy or something!_ Jeez..._

"_Izzy-chan!_", Aya shrieked from behind, gripping my shoulder tightly in warning.

My attention snapped back to the present in time for me to bring up my 'weapon' and slam it bone-wrenchingly into the side of the head of one of 'them' - who was less than a _metre_ away, might I add - hard enough for it to be thrown sideways to reveal another standing behind it, a bit of it's blood splattering on my cheek.

_Bloody hell!_ What the hell are Takashi, Rei and Saeko_ doing?_

I brought up the metal leg for a second go, holding it over my shoulder like a baseball bat and _BAM!_ I swung again.

That's two less of 'them' to worry about.

A high-pitched shriek from behind me and the lack of a hand on my shoulder, made my heart freeze for a second as I spun around to see Aya fighting off a couple more.

She managed to roundhouse one of 'them' into the wall, knocking it down as it collided with a line of lockers, but the other got her pinned.

"Oh no, you _don't!_", I protested, and I charged in, swinging the metal leg down on its head from above.

"Aya? Are you okay? _Aya!_", I asked, gripping her left shoulder with my hand, that part of the white shirt again splattered with fresh blood.

After a minute, she nodded mutely and then went over to see if pink-haired girl - Takagi or something - was okay, while I sighed in relief and leaned against the wall as the other girls crowded around Takagi too. I only watched as I wasn't really the 'comforting' type...

They all started blabbering on about normal stuff, me just rolling my eyes while keeping an eye on Aya at the same time as she helped Takagi to her feet - when suddenly Takagi snapped.

"What the... you're all _soft..._", she scoffed.

"Takagi-?", Aya asked, her tone sounding curious and innocent.

"Senpai? _Seriously?_", Takagi continued, ignoring Aya who took a couple of steps backwards and towards me as the girl's voice became raised and slightly histerical.

"You two are the _same!_ You must not know how to _count_ since you got held back a year!", she raged.

"Takagi-san/senpai, that's-" both Takashi and Aya started.

Suddenly Takagi turned around,"_don't treat me like I'm stupid!_", she screeched, and Aya flinched at her tone, quickly taking the last few steps back towards me and clutched at the sleeve of my shirt.

"I'm a genius! I can do anything once I put my mind to it!".

I sighed. Great, another hysterical breakdown... although I guess I can't really talk. I pretty much fell apart when this all started...

So I stayed silent as everyone watched her breakdown and cry, all the while clinging to Saeko.

* * *

As soon as we were inside the Staff Room, the boys started barricading the doors with anything they could find.

Meanwhile, I sat Aya down at one of the teacher's desks and told her to sit still while I went and got a wet cloth to clean some of the blood off her face, handing over custody of my backpack - which she decided to riffle through the remains of as I walked away.

"Here", Takagi said as I approached the sink,"it's for Ishikawa-chan, right?", stepped aside so I had access.

"Thanks...", I murmured, wincing at my own blood-splattered reflection.

Biting my lip to stop myself from freaking out, I quickly used a wet cloth to scrub as much of the blood off my face and hands as I could.

Cheeks now red from the force of my scrubbing, I rinsed out the cloth again before slowly turning to the pink-haired girl who had been watching me,"so... how do you know Aya?", I asked.

"I was her 'big sister' last year during orientation week...", she replied, shrugging,"and you're Izzy, right? The exchange student from class 2-A?".

"Yep, the one and only", I replied, smiling slightly - I still wondered why everyone kept calling me by my first name. Wasn't it a custom in Japan to call someone by their last name until you were on more friendly terms with them?

And why was she talking to me anyway? Given the fact that we've never even talked before today saying she couldn't care less about me - so what's with the sudden interest?

"Um... I'm just gonna get back to Aya, now..."

She nodded in reply and I walked off as Hirano - the gun-nut from class 2-B that I _had_ meet before; after all, Army brats stick together - approached her, nodding to me as he passed.

I returned the nod before finding Aya elbow-deep in my bag, muttering,"I can smell the _chipsss!_ I _know_ you're in there, chippies!", to herself, before phishing out a packet of my Calbee Shrimp-flavoured chips - _damn it!_ I wanted to eat those!

Ooh! I just spotted a vending machine! _And they have shrimp-flavoured too!_

"Enjoy those, Aya-chan~", I muttered, smirking as I watched her wolf down the packet,"I'll just have all of these...", and I walked over to the machine and hit the side of the box like they did in the movies, with an expectant look on my face.

I'll tell you something right now; that cool trick that guy does in the movie that gets you stuff for free when you know the 'trick' of a machine? Like The Fonz with the jute box?

It does _not_ work in real life.

_AT ALL._

And _man_ does it _hurt._

"(_Owwwwwwwwwww_)", I hissed, clutching my fist.

"Izzy-san...?"

"Eh?", I looked up to see Rei standing there with an amused look on her face, holding out a bottle of water.

Muttering something in english under my breath, I thanked her and she gave me another one for Aya, before going over to hand one to Saeko.

I watched the purple-haired girl out of the corner of my eyes, warily. Then sighed,"can't be helped, I guess..."

"What can't?", Aya asked, looking at me with a pointed expression. Well, at least she's not crying anymore - that's a plus.

"Oh, nothing important...", I replied, waving her off.

"Marikawa-sensei, where are your car keys?", Takashi asked, and I turned to listen to the conversation.

The blonde-haired nurse, who was sitting at her desk, started looking through her purse, but that idea was quickly discarded once she realized - with Saeko's 'helpful' comment - that her car was too small to fit everyone.

A couple more ideas were passed around, until Saeko mentioned that the school bus keys were in here. Takashi also wanted to check on our - their - families. Though mine's not even in the country...

I shook my head to keep my thoughts on track.

Then there's finding a safe place to stay - wow, looks like Takashi and Saeko have got this handled. All I have to do if make sure Aya gets through this with me.

The only real problem I can see is that the buses themselves are outside - where 'they' are and we could easily be crowded. Unless we stay quiet, which is _difficult_ in large groups.

A large moving vehicle might be a good idea, too; it can carry more people should we run into anyone on the way out, we'll be able to get through the gates easily enough... and any of 'them' if they should try to crowd us.

Plus, the bus would attract Daisuke's attenion. Speaking of Daisuke...

I looked down at my watch, he should be arriving out the front soon... in about five minutes.

_"... government has started to do something about the on-going revolt. However, the politicans are doubting the SDF's ability to..."_

I looked up, the TV had been unmuted and the news was on the screen.

Revolt? Ah, so the government is trying to cover it up.

Takashi voiced the same thoughts, though his were in disbelief.

Saeko changed the station.

Emergency New Coverage showed emergency vehichles, policemen, gurneys being wheeled past with body bags.

_"The number of deaths in teh Saitama prefecture already exceeds 10,000"_

Ten _thousand?_ I knew the death toll would be high - _but that high, that quickly?_

_"The prefecture governor has declared a state of emergency-"_

Aya grabbed my hand and held on tightly as a gun shot went off in the background, and the people began panicking as the picture moved to show policeman firing on moving body bags, trying to crawl off their gurneys.

_"Just now, the police opened fire! What are they shooting at?"_

We all watched silently as the newswoman began screaming for help as 'they' approached her, then she tried to run, still screaming, before the camera was knocked over, the image dissolving into static.

A happy and colourful _'Please Stand By'_ screen popped up with people arguing in the background.

A picture that looked like it was streaming from the studio came on with a worried woman being handed new lines.

"_It seems there's been some sort of problem_", she began, stuttering nervously,"_fro-, from now on we will be broadcasting from here in the studio_".

Aya's other hand gripped my arm tighter.

"_As you can tell, the situation outside has become grave_", the woman continued,"_we advise you to please stay in your homes unless absolutely necessary. Once it's safer outside, we will bring you more information about the on-going situation_".

Takashi slammed his fist down on a desk, making Aya jump beside me,"that's all? Why aren't they saying more?", he demanded.

"Because they're afraid of causing a panic". My eyes flickered away from the TV to stare at Takagi.

"Even now?", Rei asked.

"Because of what happened just now", Takagi replied,"fear leads to chaos, chaos leads to anarchy - how would you expect the government to deal with the living dead in a time of anarchy?"

"She's right", I agreed, their eyes turning to look at me as I back to the TV which was now showing internationl feeds of the same situation all over the world in varying languages,"America, Russia, China, England, Italy, France..."

"... although all governments have protocols for dealing with biological hazards - with the panic, the contagion is just spreading too fast", I narrowed my eyes,"in a situation like this, maintaining order is crucial".

* * *

"I can't believe that it only took a few hours for the world to come to this", Rei voiced,"how will we find a safe place in all this?".

"What safe place? Stop dreaming, already", Takagi began,"this is a pandemic, we need to be realistic here".

I agreed, though Rei did have point - _how had the world dissolved into such a state of chaos so quickly?_

An accident would mean that there is only a single point of origin and therefore it would be restricted to a certain area, regardless of how fast the infection rate is.

For so many places to be affected in just a few hours..._ it would mean several points of origin._ And if it's of the same contagion..._ then that would mean this was planned._ A shiver swept through me, who would do that?

Meanwhile, Takagi and the others were still talking - Spanish Influenza? The Black Death?

... yes, they are kind of similiar - but only in the initial stage where the infection leads to death and the corpses then become carriers...

But this... this is different. On the TV, news reports were still flooding in on the multiple feeds scattered across the screen.

Washington D.C., Moscow, Beijing, London, Rome, Paris - what do all these places have in common?

_They're capital cities of the most powerful and well-known countries in the world._

If I was right about this being planned, then this those cities were the perfect strategic targets.

_Because attacking famous places, means more publicity._

Damn it, I have to focus. The others are still talking, and I'm going off on tangents!

Sounds like they realized the difference between those plagues and this one - the dead are moving and attacking the living, so it won't be able to 'die out' like those of the past.

All those infected would need to be completely erased - corpse and all. Not one cell can remain, or it could risk re-infection.

Like Mirikawa-sensei said, decomposition sounds like a reasonable assumption, but I don't know if we can hold out long enough for that to happen - if they even decompose at all.

Now I know why they call Takagi a genius, she's got this all figured already and is telling the others as it occurs to me.

Good, that means I don't have to talk. I hate explaining things.

... wait, did she just say 'they' defy our knowledge of medicine? _Damn it._

"Not all of it", I objected, folding my arms as I turned away from the TV to face the group.

"What do you mean, Izzy-san?", Takagi asked.

"The best way of surviving any type of incident is first know what you're dealing with", I began,"here, we're dealing with what looks like some kind of biological contagion or infectious disease - a pandemic, like you said, Takagi-san".

"From what I've been able to observe so far", I continued,"the infection itself is transferred with a single bite and then soon after forces the rupturing of internal organs, resulting in extreme blood loss, death and then reanimation... the corpses themselves becoming flesh-hungry carriers of the infection".

Takagi nodded,"from what I've seen, they don't seem to have much of their senses either - no sight or feeling - relying on noise to find people", she informed us,"but they also seem to have an abnormal amount of strength - enough to easily break down a door".

I nodded in agreement,"it also seems the incubation period is almost non-existent, making it able to spread like wild fire in a field full of dry grass - the process only speeding up as panicked people flee in groups".

I clutched my right arm tightly,"but like I said earlier, the government would have protocols set up forbiological incidents - safe zones for example, even with the incredibly fast rate of infection, the protocols would still be in place".

"Yes, and that would be a good place to start for a location to make use of after we find our families", Saeko agreed,"but if we should act only in our self-interest, we stand don't stand a chance - we should act as a team".

We all agreed. My reservations about Saeko would have to be put aside for now - considering the situation, it would be stupid not to.

As Aya and Takagi started putting any supplies they could find into my and Takagi's bags, I glanced at my watch. Looks like Aya's brother should be here soon.

Everyone got ready to leave the Faculty Room; Marikawa-sensei grabbing a first aid kit, Takashi his baseball bat, Rei with a her broom stick, Hirano with a makeshift nail gun, Takagi and Aya with our supplies (and my school bag), Saeko with her wooden sword, and me still with my metal tripod leg.

Then after the guys removed the barricade, Takashi opened the door.

* * *

As stood arguing quietly in the staircase towards the building exit to the parking lot, I began to notice how quiet it had become.

I couldn't even hear the emergency sirens in the distance anymore.

I couldn't hear any screaming either, nothing but sound of sakura trees swaying in the breeze.

_Not even the birds._

We'd picked up a few other students on the way, but they were the only others we had seen alive.

The reason why we'd stopped is because the floor where the exit was, was filled with 'them'.

I've had enough of this, I'm gonna to volunteer to test Takagi's and my theory on their senses- suddenly Aya's grip on my arm tightened.

I look back at her, frowning, to see a fearful expression on her face.

I went to ask her what was wrong, but Aya had already distracted me long for enough for Takashi to volunteer after Saeko reminded us of how exposed we were just staying here in the staircase with no where to escape to and little room to move.

"Oi", I said, and Takashi glanced at me,"be careful". He nodded, then slowly starting making his way down the stairs.

It wasn't long before we all started making our way down and out through the doors to the courtyard, Aya still clinging to my arm.

Suddenly, a loud _CLANG_ sounded from behind us - one of the others had accidently hit the staircase railing with his metal rod, the noise echoing out across the school and breaking the silence.

As far as I could see, 'they' all started turning to towards the sound.

_To us._

I cursed in english under my breath.

"_Run!_", Takashi yelled, Takagi scolding him for shouting as we ran.

"Don't talk! Just run, damn it!", he replied, and we had to fight through the growing crowd of 'them', drawn by the sounds we were making.

Aya let go of my arm so I could fight, but she stayed close behind, eventually throwing Takagi my bag so she could help us fend 'them' off.

As Aya boarded the bus and I took a defensive position at the door with Takashi and Saeko, I noted that the dash for the bus itself was a spectacular feat of teamwork, then...

"Takizawa-kun!", Aya suddenly yelled, trying to dash past me.

"_Damn it, Aya!_", I grabbed a hold of her and pulled her back.

"But Izzy-chan!", she protested, struggeling to get free and pointing towards a student who'd tripped and was laying at the feet of one of the teachers.

I narrowed my eyes - isn't that Shido from 3-A? Why isn't he helping him?

Suddenly, Shido kicked the student in the face, smashing his glasses into his eyes, and then walked off towards us, leaving the kid to die as he was as surround by 'them'.

"_Takizawa!_", Aya screamed as 'they' began devouring him.

With a grimace, I managed to pull Aya back on to the bus and forced her into a seat, dropping down beside her as she started crying.

* * *

_Fuck,_ Marikawa can drive!

But really, sitting on a bus with a bunch of people I barely knew and a sociopathic-looking teacher - who I shot a look of disgust as I thought this - was _not_ something I planned on doing when the apocalypse came around.

I think my plan went something along the lines of finding a private jet and getting back home or something...

Either way, this was _definitely_ not what I planned on doing - and I certaintly didn't expect to be baby-sitting either.

Sighing, I stopped looking down at Aya's sleeping head laying on my lap and gazed out the window again, tiredly watching the grey clouds that littered the sky sweep by as we drove away from school.

She'd fallen into an exhausted sleep after the bus had careered through the front gates and onto the road.

_Ugh,_ Shido is trying to become 'group leader' now - but after what he did to that kid, I don't think he's anything more then a sorry excuse for a human being. No _way_ do I want him leading us.

Sighing, I lowered my eyes to look at Aya again - poor girl's lost a lot already, and now this...

"_Our city!_", one of the students cried, and I looked up.

There were a few columns of rising black smoke from fires dotted all over the place, but otherwise, it looked quiet.

Then I remembered what I saw from the roof earlier and my eyes narrowed as images of blood-splattered streets entered my mind.

Suddenly, I noticed a figure in the distance running along the street towards the us, and squinting my eyes as I gently moved out of the seat and started towards the front of the bus to get a better look, Takashi, Rei and Saeko watching me.

My eyelids flashed open wide with recognition._ Daisuke!_

"_Stop the bus!_", I yelled, and instantly the air filled with the noise of squealling tyres as Marikawa slammed on the brakes, the screams of protest from the passengers quickly adding to mayhem.

I ran towards the door, throwing it open and ignoring Shido's protests.

"Daisuke!" I called, and the blood-splattered figure ran towards us, slowing down as he neared and sheathing the katana he was wielding.

"_Izzy!_", he gasped, the teenager leaning over with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath,"you're okay! Where's Aya?".

"_Onii-chan!_", a voice squealed, and we both turned to see Aya jumping from the bus, running over and then hugging him tightly.

"Hey there, imouto", he breathed, a relieved grin on his face as he hugged her back, just as tightly.

"Um, guys? I hate to interuptt this reunion and all", I started,"but everyone on the bus looks like they're getting... (antsy)? _Ugh,_ what's the word - nervous? _Yeah, let's go with that..._"

Grinning, Aya jumped back on the bus to apologize to everyone and explain what was going on, then Daisuke turned to me.

"... thanks", he said, and I nodded, smiling as I breathed out a sigh through my nose.

I gestured to his clothes,"so... you weren't kidding about it being messy were you?", I asked as I turned to climb on the bus.

"No", he replied with a small laugh as he followed me on - though we had assure everyone he hadn't been bitten before he could take a seat.

* * *

The bus started moving again, and soon enough, some guy was complaining - what is it with people? All _fucking_ complainers.

Daisuke, probably seeing my irritation, sent me a warning look that said 'I know what you're thinking - don't'.

"Couldn't we have just looked for a safe place inside the school?", he kept going. My eyebrow twitched.

_Fuck it._

I stood up, turning to him,"would you just shut the_ fuck_ up and sit the fuck down _already?_ Before I decide you don't need reproductive organs!", I advanced on him, Daisuke and Rei asking me to calm down. I ignored them.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are?", he yelled, leaning down to spit in my face.

"_Oh,_ I don't know? One of the people who fucking saved you!", I spat back, leaning up on my toes and glaring at him,"besides that, if you didn't want to leave the school, you shouldn't have gotten on the damn bus!"

Suddenly the bus stopped again, making me stumble back towards Aya and Daisuke at the front of the bus.

Oh great, what have I started? Now everyone's having a go at me too.

And now the idiot is getting into it with Takashi - uh,_ hello?_ What about _me?_ You know, the girl that was just threatening your _manhood?_

Seems Rei didn't much like him being an arsehole towards Takashi though, and she quickly disabled him with a hit to the stomach.

Lucky. Where I would've kicked him...

_Ugh,_ now Shido's trying to assert himself as leader again- I really don't care if you're a teacher, jerk, an education degree means shit in a zombie apocalypse.

Plus, from the attitude you've shown me so far - you disgust me.

I glared at him. Oh great- now he's got applause._ This isn't going to end well._

Suddenly, Rei jumped out of the bus - she wasn't going to take orders from Shido, and I understood that.

Takagi quickly followed her, trying to convince her to come back.

Daisuke and I exchanged a glance. This is taking too long, and we can't stay in one place much longer.

Sighing, I followed after them, grabbing my bag as I went - if she was going off on her own, the least I could do was give her some supplies.

I approached the two as Rei yelled at him how she told him he would regret letting Shido on the bus.

"Oi, if you guys are-", I was cut off by Aya screaming my name.

"Huh?", I asked turned around, so see a bus speeding towards us.

I froze, eyes wide as it hit some debris and flipped end-over-end, flying through mid air towards us.

"**_Izzy!_**", Daisuke screamed from beside me. _When did he-?_

Then everything went dark.

* * *

_Chapter End_

* * *

**A/N: See? I told you guys I would make it longer. Wow... I haven't posted a chapter here for ages. I'm really sorry!**

**But I made it longer - as promised! And this is like the longest chapter I've written and posted on this site... that makes up for it right?  
**

**I've also got exams coming up very soon, so it'll probably be a while before I post another chapter...**

**Please remember to review, add to your story alert, and/or add to you favs! And thank you so much for everyone who has!**

**Signed,**  
**Milley02**


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